Fauci, Fear, Balance and the Grid
Posted on May 8, 2023 by curryja
by Planning Engineer (Russell Schussler)
Reflecting on the U.S. response to the covid pandemic, Dr. Fauci provides some important insights on managing complex risks – with relevance to climate change and the electric grid transition.
Dr. Fauci discussing past covid measures was recently quoted as saying,
“(W)e looked at it from a purely public-health standpoint. It was for other people to make broader assessments—people whose positions include but aren’t exclusively about public health. Those people have to make the decisions about the balance between the potential negative consequences of something versus the benefits of something.”
I was surprised to hear that Dr. Fauci did not think that public health should have been in total control of the pandemic response. But he is right. We needed diverse experts providing input and impacting policy choices – some who worry about public health, others who worry about individual health, others who worry about children, and others well versed on the economic impacts of it all. Doing everything possible to stop the spread of covid, all other costs and consideration be damned, should have been expected to reduce the overall well-being of society and provide grossly suboptimal outcomes. Focusing solely on covid risks was likely counterproductive even for those most at risk from covid.
https://judithcurry.com/2023/05/08/fauci-fear-balance-and-the-grid/
